3. Mountain Biking in Metro Manila

At first, Metro Manila seems to be ruled by motorized vehicles, its roads offering little breadth for aspiring city bikers. While it is unarguable that daily commuting remains a dream, except for the extreme urban bikers (a good mask is advised then), the city still offers several selected mountain bike friendly areas. Don’t expect to be riding among nature, but these places will at least help you keep fit until the week-end, for which you can visit the “Around Manila” section.
UP Diliman
University of the Philippines is a huge campus that lays North of Quezon City, in the Diliman Area (2 kms away from Quezon Circle). Between the university’s departments, you’ll be surprised to find nicely kept stretches of tropical forest, criss-crossed with interesting paths and paved roads. An area is closed to trafic during week ends, and nature lovers gather there either roller-blading, biking, jogging, playing soccer or simply lying in the grass. Wear a helmet and be very respectful as the area can get crowded sometimes.
The Landfills
These territories gained on the sea several decades ago started being developed end 90’s, when real-estate and few malls started scattering on this huge area. Thanks to good highways and its closeness to the sea, the area is still pollution-free. The best place to bike is still the promenade along the sea, which is still unopened to traffic. It is 2 to 3 kms long and quite enjoyable.
Fort Bonifacio
Same as above. An ambitious real-estate development project halted by the end-90’ crisis. Wide open areas, good roads, little pollution. Some of the roads are closed to traffic. The road going through the closeby military base is also a good place to bike during week ends.
Marikina River Banks
The river banks at the level of Aurora Boulevard were recently developed into a recreational parc. A wide alley and little public frequentation make it a friendly place for mountain biking.